Dave brings great knowledge of road safety and the insurance industry
to the Independent Transportation Network’s Board of Directors.

July 31, 2015 – WESTBROOK, Maine – The national nonprofit Independent Transportation Network of America (ITNAmerica), based here, is pleased to welcome Dave Melton to its Board of Directors. The national board unanimously approved the appointment earlier this month.

Dave brings significant international experience with transportation safety in the insurance industry, having retired from a long-time career with Liberty International’s Global Road Safety, a business unit of Liberty Mutual. Notable accomplishments during his time with Liberty Mutual included the development and advocacy of a roadway and occupational safety strategy for Liberty International Region operations in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

“Dave brings with him decades of experience in transportation safety and the insurance industry. I’ll say it again: decades,” said Katherine Freund, Founder and President of ITNAmerica. “I am eagerly anticipating our work together, and feel that we are fortunate to have him on our Board.”

Dave has also been a member of several road safety committees, and has served on numerous Boards of Directors, including past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), and member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Truck Drivers Institute. He is a retired member and current friend of the Permanent Committee on Truck and Bus Safety (ANB70) of the Transportation Research Board, National Academy of Sciences. He is also a past member of the Advisory Council for the Center for Transportation Safety, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University.

“I am honored to join the ITNAmerica Board of Directors. Over the last several years, I’ve worked with Katherine Freund and have learned much about the critical importance of maintaining the mobility of seniors and others who are no longer able to get where they need to go,” said Dave. “I’ve visited several cities where ITN maintains a presence. I’ve met many ITN volunteers and have been humbled by their caring spirit and their strong sense of ITN’s mission. I’m looking forward to this opportunity to give back to those in need.”

About ITNAmerica

ITNAmerica® is America’s only national, non-profit, community-based transportation network for older people and people with visual impairments, providing door-through-door and arm-through-arm service. ITN began as a single transportation service in Portland, Maine 20 years ago and has since grown into a network of 27 affiliated communities in 20 states from coast to coast. ITNAmerica also operates the nonprofit toll-free hotline and website Rides In Sight, which lists more than 15,000 transportation providers across the country. Learn more at www.itnamerica.org and www.ridesinsight.org.

(REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.) – The Independent Transportation Network, ITN, company is in 27 states across the country and now it’s coming to Delaware.

All thanks to Sussex County native, Nancy Feichtl who spearheaded the idea.

“We’ll take you to the doctor’s office, the grocery store, get your hair done, take your dog to the vet, go to the movies, even if you want to go to the bar and watch the football game,” explained Feichtl.

The network provides transportation to senior citizens over the age of 65 and adults who are visually impaired.

The network already has sparked an interest with some middle-aged children.

“They won’t have to take off work, they just have to make sure that their parents’ accounts are active so they can get where they need to go,” said Feichtl.

Nancy Feichtl, known for her active volunteer lifestyle, has helped spearhead a senior citizens transportation cooperative.

For a growing number of Sussex County seniors, finding reliable transportation has become a pressing problem. As more older residents realize it’s time to give up their driving licenses, the problem is only compounded.

One local senior citizen has taken the issue to heart. Thanks in great part to Nancy Feichtl’s efforts, this fall Sussex seniors as well as adults who are visually impaired will have a new transportation cooperative providing door-to-door service.

Based on the national nonprofit Independent Transportation Network model, ITNSouthernDelaware is set to kick off Phase 1 in September for seniors on the eastern side of Sussex County.

Dear Savvy Senior, My wife and I will both be retiring in a year or two and are interested in moving to a smaller house in a better climate but could use some help. What resources can you recommend for locating and researching good places to retire in the U.S.? — Looking To Relocate

Dear Looking, If you’re interested in relocating when you retire, like millions of other baby boomers, there are a wide variety of free Web-based resources that can help you find and research a new location that meet your wants, needs and budget. Here are several to help you get started.

Where to retire?

If you aren’t sure where you want to retire, a good place to begin is by taking a retirement test at sites like Sperling’s Best Places (www.bestplaces.net/fybp) or Find Your Spot (www.findyourspot.com). These are free quizzes that ask dozens of questions on your preferences such as climate, recreation, community size and more, and suggest possible destinations that best match your answers.

QUESTION: My wife and I will both be retiring in a year or two and are interested in moving to a smaller house in a better climate. What resources can you recommend for locating and researching good places to retire in the U.S.?

ANSWER: There are a wide variety of free Web-based resources that can help you find and research a new location that meet your wants, needs and budget.

If you aren’t sure where you want to retire, a good place to begin is by taking a retirement test at sites like Sperling’s Best Places (bestplaces.net/fybp) or Find Your Spot (findyourspot.com). These are free quizzes that ask dozens of questions on your preferences such as climate, recreation, community size and more, and suggest possible destinations.

Ruth Combs stood on the sidewalk in front of her Orlando home in a pastel belted dress, stud earrings and rimless glasses, awaiting her ride on a recent afternoon. When the cherry-red Toyota Camry pulled up, she got in with ease.

“Since my husband has passed away, ITN has been like my soul mate again, you know?” said Combs, 80.

ITNOrlando is one of a handful of local groups that help shuttle the elderly to doctors appointments and errands.

Central Florida offers few options for older Americans who are retiring their car keys. For seniors who can no longer drive, the lack of alternatives poses myriad health concerns, psychologists say.

State Representative Diane St. Onge recently drove as a volunteer for ITNGreaterCincinnati (ITNGC), taking Erlanger resident Jean Bryson to a medical appointment.

St. Onge, an attorney and Republican from Lakeside Park, has lived and worked in Northern Kentucky for 30 years and said that she knows that isolation is a huge problem for older adults who no longer drive.

“I was very honored to be able to participate as a driver for ITN Greater Cincinnati,” St. Onge said. “Meeting Mrs. Jean Bryson and driving her to her appointment was a distinct pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of this remarkable woman. ITNGreaterCincinnati provides a necessary service to the elderly, allowing them to maintain the independence and quality of life we all cherish.”